Pamela Richardson, a Canadian mother, wrote the book A Kidnapped Mind,
detailing her ordeal and the subsequent suicide of her son, Dash. More recently
a mother in Toronto killed her 18-month-old toddler son, Jayden Bernard, to
prevent the father from seeing him. This is the most extreme kind of PA
possible.

PA is prevalent in our community with past court cases in the public record
involving it and current activity before the family court where it has been used
against target parents to get a "leg up" in custody battles. Family courts in
Canada are starting to recognize the seriousness of the manipulation of young
children and are reversing custody as a result.

I have discussed this emotional abuse of children with the Algoma Children's
Aid Society over the past four years and they can do little to combat it. They
cannot see the psychic bruising and it is outside of their current protective
mandate. The Family Preservation Program operated by the CAS does do its best
with highly motivated dedicated staff.

With awareness we can educate to create understanding and through
understanding legislative changes can be made to create environments reducing
the conflict which creates this behaviour.

One of the first must be changes to the divorce act making shared and equal
parenting a rebuttable presumption for fit parents. Those who daily supervise or
provide mental health services for children will be better equipped to recognize
why children exhibit certain responses.